Virtual instrumentation with graphical programming for enhanced detection and monitoring of partial discharges

This paper describes a total real-time partial discharge measuring system starting from capturing of PD impulses and applied test voltage, analyzing, displaying and controlling or monitoring of signals supported by virtual instrumentation (VI). VI empowers users to build their own instrumentation systems with standard computers and cost-effective hardware. These software centered systems leverage off the computational display and connectivity of popular computers to give the power and flexibility to build each of the instrumentation functions to meet all requirements. Graphical programming allows the user to quickly view test results and generate reports using simple menu choices with control. Hewlett Packard (HP) visual engineering environment (VEE), the visual programming language, has been utilised during the development of the real-time data acquisition and control applications of partial discharges which are nowadays the most common measured parameter in the field of HV insulating systems. The task of classification of PD patterns is dealt with the power of VI and the VEE package